Retired Air Force Gen. Leon Williams Johnson dies
     WASHINGTON -- November 13, 1997 07:29 a.m. EST -- Leon Williams
 Johnson, a retired Air Force general who won the Medal of Honor for
 a critical low-level raid on oil refineries in Romania during World
 War II, died Monday in Fairfax, Va. He was 93.
     A West Point graduate who retired from the Air Force in 1965,
 Johnson led a June 1942 raid on the Ploesti oil refineries, describ-
 ed then by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill as "the taproot
 of German mechanized power."
     Taking off from North Africa, Johnson, then a colonel, and the
 44th bomb group that he commanded crossed the Aegean Sea and Greece
 and found that part of the refinery had already been bombed by
 earlier waves of attacking planes.
     Johnson then led his seven planes at an altitude of 30 feet into
 what was described as an inferno with 1,500-foot-high flames to drop
 their bombs. Only Johnson's plane survived, despite being hit several
 times by antiaircraft fire.
 Yet, the mission succeeded in destroying the refinery. (Not true
 statement. It was never completely destroyed. Jim Sanders)
     At the time of his retirement, Johnson was director of the
 National Security Council's net evaluation subcommittee.
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
         Air France: Pilots' strike not snarling schedules
     PARIS - November 13, 1997 2:18 p.m. EST (1918 GMT)  -- Some Air
 France pilots went on a two-day strike Thursday, but the French
 national airline said disruption was minimal.
     Air France said it had canceled 4 percent of flights from Paris
 Charles de Gaulle airport and 9 percent from Paris Orly airport.
 London was the only international destination affected.
     Some delays were expected, worsened by thick morning fog at
 Charles de Gaulle.
     Air Liberte, a French subsidiary of British Airways, has said
 it was adding extra domestic capacity on the strike days to serve
 Bordeaux, Montpellier, Strasbourg and Toulouse.
     The strike, called by unions representing 14 percent of Air
 France pilots, was the first since the government appointed Jean-
 Cyril Spinetta as Air France chairman last September.
     Spinetta succeeded Christian Blanc, who quit after failing to
 persuade the left-wing government to end state majority control of
 the airline to help it respond to growing competition in the Euro-
 pean air travel market.
     Pilots are unhappy over recent changes in working conditions and
 salary cuts instituted to cut costs, trim staff and increase effi-
 ciency. They protested that a test of new working conditions which
 was to have ended last month was extended to next March.
 -------------------------------------------------------------------
       Beermaker tempts balloonists with $1 million prize
     ST. LOUIS -- November 13, 1997 4:47 p.m. EST --- U.S. beer firm
 Anheuser-Busch said Thursday it would offer a $1 million prize for
 the first successful non-stop trip around the world in a balloon --
 a feat that has repeatedly eluded adventurers.
    The brewer said the offer of its $1 million "Budweiser Cup" prize
 was effective immediately and would remain open through the end of
 1999.
    The winner will get $500,000 with an equal amount going to a
 charity or non-profit organization of the winner's choice.
    At least five teams have announced plans to launch balloons this
 year or early in 1998 to go after the record, including Chicago-
 based businessman Steve Fossett who came closest this year with a
 six-day, 10,000-mile trip that ended when he was forced down in
 India.
    The company said that to win, the balloon must cross the original
 launch longitude line from which it took off and fly a minimum of
 12,500 miles.  The flight must also follow guidelines set by the
 sport's international federation.
 ------------------------------------------------------------------
 ==
--- DB 1.39/004487
---------------